North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Thursday that the name dispute between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) must be resolved before the tiny Balkan neighbor can join the European Union and NATO.

Italy is expected today to confirm its position on the accession of Bulgaria to Schengen in front of President Rumen Radev, NOVA reports.

The head of state is leaving on a one-day visit to Rome at the invitation of his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarela.

Italy warned Wednesday that the European Union must keep its doors open to eventual membership for Western Balkan countries or risk allowing Russia and other global powers to increase their influence in the region.

NATO members may be carrying out full-fledged preparations for aggression near Russia's border, according to Konstantin Sivkov, director of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems.

Speaking at a roundtable in Moscow on NATO's policy towards Russia, Sivkov argued that there are several signs apparently indicating that the alliance may be preparing for "military aggression."

The US Department of State has approved a potential sale of Patriot air defense systems to Romania worth USD 3.9 billion.

This was announced by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Sputnik reported.

The US State Department said on July 11 it is ready to approve the sale of Patriot air defense systems to Romania, a $3.9 billion deal likely to infuriate Russia.

"The State Department has made a determination approving a possible foreign military sale to Romania for Patriot air defense systems, related support and equipment," the State Department said.

Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein held talks in Ankara with his Turkish counterparts in an unannounced visit, sources told daily Hürriyet on July 12. 

AFP 2016/ JANEK SKARZYNSKI

The US military has deployed Patriot anti-aircraft systems to the Baltics with the stated goal of taking part in NATO war games, Lithuania's Defense Ministry said. It's the first such deployment to a region already in the midst of a Western military buildup.

The Islamic State stands on the brink of a twin defeat. Mosul, the largest city under its control, has almost entirely fallen from its grasp, and Kurdish-led forces are advancing into its de facto capital of Raqqa.

The US embassy told BIRN that one of its staff will see the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Centre in the southern city of Nis on Wednesday.